Knitting machine with rectilinear needle beds



Marh29,193s. MCM/RO 1 v 2,112,478

KNITTING MACHINE WITH RECTILNEAR NEEDLE BEDS Filed May 2l, 1935 4Sheets-Sheet 1 JA/ VEA/ Taf M. 'd vera M. CAVERO March 29, 1938.

KNITTING MACHINE WITH RECTILNEAR NEEDLE BEDS -Filed My 21, 19554'shee'ts-sheet 2 .RR N

w lll 1 JANE/v70@ M Can/e140 March 29, 193s. M, CAW-:RO 2,112,478

KNITTING MACHINE WITH RECTILNEAR NEEDLE BEDS .Filed May 2l, 1935 4Shee'lzs--SheefI 3 wen/roe M Ca vero March 29, 1938. M. cAvi-:Ro I2,112,478

KNITT'ING MACHINE WITH RECTILNEAR NEEDLE BEDS Filed May 2l, 1935 4SheeliS--Sheeil 4 66 inumviiax 7 VvE/V706 M. Ca verov By l Patented Mar.29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE WITH RECTILINEARNEEDLE BEDS Application May 21, 1935, Serial No. 22,606 In France May25, 1934 3 Claims.

reciprocating strokes of the carriage relatively to the needle bed, bymeans of a transmission which is of simple construction, since it isonly composed of an endless chain, of a finger secured on this chain andof a vertical slide rigid with the carriage and in which said iingerextends.

(b) The decreases or increases are automatically obtained by causing toact, on the needles, push-bars, of variable lengths arranged accordingto the generatrices of a cylinder having a horizontal axis. It thereforesuffices to move this cylinder towards the needles for pushing thoseadapted to operate, then after releasing, to cause said cylinder toangularly move in order to obtain another decrease or another increase.

(c) In the particular case concerning the manufacture of berets, thecylinder acting on the needles is subjected to similar angulardisplacements separated by returns to an initial position; these strokesare counted by a pawl and ratchet device which, after stoppage of thecylinder, controls, in its turn, the number of strokes to which thecarriage is subjected, with a different threadthrower and relatively tothe needle bed.

The invention is illustrated by way of example, y in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the device for controlling the system foreffecting the increases and decreases.

Figs. 2 and 3 are an elevation and a cross section, made according toline A-A of Fig. 2, showing the system for driving the knitting camscarriage and the thread-throwers.

Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan view and a vertical section, made according toline B-B of Fig. 4, showing the mechanism controlling the incre-ases anddecreases as well as the operation of the thread-throwers.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the device for braking the drum effecting theincreases and decreases.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the knitting machineforming the subject-matter 55 oi the invention, comprises a. rectilinearneedle bed I, provided with needles 2. Above this needle bed l andparallel thereto is arranged a double guide race 3. The cross section ofthis guide race is in the shape of a double T, one of the lower branchesbeing bevelled (Fig. 3). Moreover, in the upper face of this guide raceis provided a groove l also serving as guide for a link 5, the functionof which will be indicated later on.

The lower guide race allows rectilinear reciprocating movements of thecarriage 6 which carries knitting cams adapted to act on the needles 2for the formation of the stitches. This carriage 6 is moreover sodevised that it can drive either of the carriages l, 8 carrying thethread-throwers. These carriages. l, 8 are guided by the upper guiderace, between abutments 9.

For actuating the thread-throwers, the lower carriage 6, which is heldin contact with its guide slide by an adjustable wedge I 0, is provided,on its front face, with vertical lugs I I. Between these lugs II ispivoted, on a horizontal pin I2, a driving dog I3. rI'his dog I3 has alower butt, so that it can angularly move only by moving away from theguide race 3. This angular displacement takes place in opposition to theaction of springs i4 attached to the carriage 6. In these conditions,this do-g I3 will be able to drive or not drive the thread-throwers bycoming in engagement with a iinger I5 provided on each of said carriages'I and 8. This finger I5 is curved forwardly and downwardly. Its endhas, on either side, bevelled portions forming inclines (Fig. 4). Saidngers are respectively pivoted about a hori- Zontal pin I6 in atransverse mortice of the corresponding carriage "I, 8. They areprovided with a lower extension Il which coincides with the upper grooveI of the guide race 3. This extension I 'l passes through thecorresponding carriage l, 8, through a suitable opening; the lower faceof the extension l Il being obliquely cut. Springs I8, attached on theupper face of the carriages l, 8, act on the fingers I5 for holding themin lowered position.

The driving carriage 6 receives reciprocating rectilinear displacementsrelatively to the needle bed I, but the driving control has a continuousmovement of rotation in the same direction. The driving mechanism is,for that purpose, constituted as follows (Fig. 2):

A hand wheel actuates., by means of a toothed wheel I9 and a pinion 2li,an endless chain 2I stretched between pinions 22, 23.

This chain 2l is arranged parallel to the guide race 3 of the carriage6. At one point of this chain 2l is laterally mounted a roller 24provided l race 3 with the carriages 5, 1 and 8 sliding therewithcheeks. This roller 24 extends in a vertical groove 25 formed in avertical plate 26 rigid with the carriage 6. This plate 25 thus forms aslide for the roller 24 and its guide cheeks. In these conditions, thecarriage 6 is driven in one direction when the roller 24 moves with theupper stretch of the endless chain 2|. At the end of the stroke, theroller 24 moves about the corresponding pinion whilst it lowers in thegroove 25. The roller 24 thus comes on to the lower stretch of theendless chain 2|, which drives it in the reverse direction at the sametime as the adjacent carriage 6. At the end of the stroke, the sameoperation takes place over again in the reverse direction for restoringthe roller 24 to its highest position, on the upper stretch of thedriving chain 2|.

The knitting machine forming the subj ect-matter of the presentinvention has been more particularly devised for automatically formingincreases and decreases, as is common practice for the manufacture ofBasque berets. With the means already described will therefore becombined other means which will allow of obtaining the desired resultand Will be described hereinafter.

For moving in the needle bed I the needles 2 which. must operate or not,use is made of a rotary cylinder 21, the axis of which is parallel tothe needle bed I and which can also receive displacements moving ittowards or from the needles 2. On the periphery of this cylinder 21, andmounted on cross members 28, are provided blades 29 rof diierentlengths, according to the i number of needles to bel simultaneouslyoperated.

Thigv operation takes place when the cylinder 21 is moved towards theneedles 2, the corresponding blade 29 acting as a push-piece for movingsaid needles 2 in the divisions of the needle bed I. Above the needlebed I there is shown the guide on. The lower carriage carries knittingcams 8| of the construction well known in the art and adapted tocooperate with the shoulders 2 of the needles 2. In the position shownin Fig. 1, the shoulder 2 lies outside the path of the traversingknitting cams 8| which, therefore, do not act upon the needle 2. Onlywhen the needle is pushed forward by the blade 29, the shoulder 2 isbrought to cooperate with the cams 8l, there- .by imparting the knittingmovements to the needle 2. According to the different lengths of theblades 29, variable numbers of needles are pushed forward so as. to beactuated by engagement of their shoulders 2' with the cams 8I.

The movements for bringing the cylinder 21 towards the needles 2 andmoving it away therefrom are obtained by mounting the ends of the shaftof said cylinder on two similar levers 39 journalled about a lowershaft3|, which is cornmon thereto. One of these levers carries a roller 32 onwhich acts a rotary cam 33 (Fig. 1). The shaft of this. cam 33 isactuated from the driving transmission of the cam carriage. To theaction of the cam is opposed that of a spring 34 tending to restore thecylinder 21 towards the needles 2. f

The intermittent rotation of the cylinder 21 is obtained by means of thefollowing mechanism:

The cylinder 21 is loosely mounted on the shaft supporting the twoangularly movable levers 33. At one of its ends, the cylinder is. rigidwith a ratchet 35. Two pawls 31, 38 engage with the teeth of thisratchet 3B. I'he pawl 31 is mounted on a plate 39 journalled on theshaft 35 of the cylinder 21, while the pawl 38 is mounted on the lever30.

Adjacent to the plate 39 is arranged a second plate 43 carrying thepivot pin of a pawl 44 and formed with two inclines 40, 4| adapted toact upon pins 42 mounted upon the pawls 31, 38 (Figs. l and 4). The pawl44 cooperates with a ratchet 45 loosely mounted on the shaft 35 of thecylinder 21. This ratchet 45 is rigid with a disc 4'6 carrying two sidecams. 41, 48, the function of which will be explained later on (Fig. 6).

On the shaft of the cylinder 21 is also carried a pulley 49, to which isattached a cable 50 carrying a freely hanging counterweight 5I.

With the cam 48 of the disc 46 engages a contact iinger provided on arocking lever 53 of the third order. The free end of this lever 53extends between two driving abutments 54 provided on the link 5. Thislink 5, which is subjected, on the other hand, to the action of a spring55, is arranged in the longitudinal groove 4 formed in the upper part ofthe guide race 3 of the carriages. The. link 5 has two wedges 56 (Fig.5) which are received in the abutments 9 and can (when the link 5 ismoved in the suitable direction) alternately come out of the latter. Oneach of the upper carriages 1 and 8 is mounted a thread thrower 82 (oryarn guide) leading the yarn 83 to the needles. The fingers I3 and I5are automatically disconnected at the end of each stroke in thefollowing manner: When the carriage 1 (or 8) strikes against theabutment limiting its movement, the linger I3 moving with the lowercarriage is pushed back by the beveled edge of the finger l5 (see Fig.4) against the action of the spring I4 and slides past the nger I5. Whenthe carriage 6 has completed its movement and comes back on the returnstroke, the nger I3 engages the other side of the finger I5 and takesthe carriage 1 (or 8) along. Of course, the spring I4 must be strongenough to provide for secure driving of the upper carriage 1 (or 8)along the guide track, but it allows the finger I3 to swing back andjump over the finger I5 when the upper carriage is arrested by itsabutment. When the carriage 8 brings back the thread-thrower 1 or 8 itdrives, in contact with the abutment 9 from which the Wedge 56 isreleased, the catch I1 is lifted. The nger I5 is angularly moved aboutits axis. The driving dog I3 of the carriage 6 then leaves thethread-thrower against the corresponding abutment 9.

The other cam 41 of the disc 45 acts on an arm 51 mounted on a rockinglever 53. This lever 58 is pivoted on a shaft 59 at right angles to thatof the blade-carrying cylinder 21, so that its oscillations take placeparallel. to the latter. A spring 59 holds the arm 51 in contact withthe driving cam 41. On this lever 58 is mounted an abutment 50 angularlymovable about a shaft 5I parallel to the shaft of the cylinder 21. lever8l) is limited by an abutment 62 against which a spring 63 tends tomaintain the contact. The said abutment lever 60 terminates in a beveledportion cooperating with another abutment 64 mounted on theblade-carrying cylinder 21.

'I'hese latter arrangements are adapted to allow the counterweight 5I torestore the cylinder 21 to an initial position after it has beensubjected to angular displacements of denite amplitudes.

The upper end of the lever 58 is bevelled and is normally located infront of the pawl-carrying plate 39 causing the cylinder 21 to rotate.

On one of the cylinder-carrying levers 30 is The downward stroke of thisabutment moreover provided an abutment 55 adapted to come in engagementwith a catch on the cylinder 21. For this arrangement can be substitutedin order to avoid shocks, two cams 66 and 66 (Fig. '1) carried by thecylinder 21 and cooperating with a pivoted braking lever 61 replacingthe xed abutment. This lever 61 is provided with a lug 68 lfor securingin position a fork-piece 39 terminating a rod 1U. This rod 1li issubjected to the action of two springs 1i, 12, of different power,bearing on either side of a lug 13 of the frame secured on the lever 3G.One of these springs 1| bears on the fork-piece 59, and the other 12 isretained by adjusting nuts 14 screwed on the screw-threaded portion ofthe rod 1i).

The operation of this knitting machine is as follows:

As previously indicated, the carriage 6 receives rectilinearreciprocating movements above the needle bed l, and actuates either ofthe threadthrowers 1, 8.

At each end of the stroke, the cam 33 acting on the roller 32 presentsto the latter its flat portion, so that the spring 34- angularly movesthe two levers 3i] carrying the cylinder 21. The cylinder 21, which isprevented from rotating by its pawls 31, 38, brings its blade 2S incontact with the needles 2 and moves, relatively to the needle bed I,those which are to operate. The number of the latter varies according tothe length of the blade 29 carried by the cylinder 21. This consequentlyallows obtaining the desired increases or decreases.

The cam 33, continuing its movement, moves the levers 30 in reversedirection, so that the plate 39 engages with the rear abutment 58. Thisplate 39 pivots and actuates the driving pawl 31 which causes theangular displacement of the cylinder 21 and the permutation of theblades 29 adapted to act on the needles 2. The other pawl 38 acts as astop.

'I'his operation takes place over again at each stroke of the carriage6. When a part of the article is finished, for instance after executinga palm in the case of the manufacture of a beret, the abutment 64carried by the cylinder 21 has come in contact with the bevelled end ofthe abutment B0. This contact has caused the transverse oscillation ofthe abutment lever 58. The plate 35 no more strikes the lever 58 but thelatter has moved in front of the second pawl-carrying plate 43. 'I'hisplate 43 has, therefore, struck against the lever 53 and the angulardisplacement to which it has been subjected from this fact, has, bymeans of the pawl 44, moved the ratchet l5 to the extent of the tooth.'Ihis ratchet 45 will, therefore, count the successive palms or partswhich Will be knitted. When the plate 43 is angularly displaced, itsinclines 4U, 4i act on the pins 42 of the pawls' 31, 38 for lifting themfrom the teeth of the corresponding ratchet 36. The cylinder 21, whichhas thus been released, is moved backwards, by the counterweight 5l,until the abutment 66 of the cylinder 21 stops by engaging with theabutment carried by lever 30. In practice and in order to avoid shocks,the abutment on cylinder 21 is formed by an inclined cam 66 and a stopcam portion 66 (Fig. '1) and cooperates with a resilient braking lever61, as above described (Fig. 8).

The parts having resumed their initial positions, a new cycle ofoperation can take place over again.

When the necessary number of palms has been knitted and counted, the cam41 of the disc 46 comes in engagement with the arm 51. 'I'he abutmentlever 53 cannot therefore come back in front of the plate 39 carryingthe pawls 31, 38 actuating the cylinder v521. This lever 58 is, on theother hand held stationary in front of the plate 43 actuating thecounting disc 46.

The cam 33, by actuating the levers 33, Will therefore at each alternatestroke, angularly move the disc 46 to the extent of one tooth. At thesame time,the other cam 48 has pushed the lever 53, and this has causedthe link 5 to longitudinally move in the groove of the guide frame 3.

The movement of the wedges 53 has thus released at the end of its strokethe. thread-thrower which was primitively moving. The otherthreadthrower has, on the contrary, been coupled with the carriage 6which now drives it in its turn.

The movement of this thread-thrower continues f during all the time thedisc 46 angularly moves, this disc d6 receiving successive displacementsuntil it reaches again its inward position. At the end of the movement,the. cams 41, 48 move away from the levers 51 and 53, the stop lever 5Breturns therefore to its initial position, as well as the link 55, thisensuring again the permutation of the thread-throwers 1, 8.

I claim:

1. A ilat knitting machine, specially for the manufacture of berets andother fancy articles comprising a number of similar parts, having aneedle bed, sliding needles on said needle bed, yarn guides reciprocableabove said needles, a rotatable cylinder, means for imparting to saidcylinder a reciprocating movement towards and away from said needles,means mounted on said cylinder and adapted to push needles from aninoperative into an operative position, a ratchet mounted on saidcylinder, a plate pivotally mounted on said cylinder, a pawl mounted onsaid plate and cooperating with said ratchet, an abutment memberpivotally mounted on the machine and adapted to engage and rock saidplate at the return strike of the cylinder so as to advance said ratchetand cylinder by a step, a second pawl preventing backward movement ofsaid ratchet, a second ratchet rotatably mounted on said cylinder, asecond plate pivotally mounted on the cylinder, a third pawl mounted onsaid second plate and engaging said second ratchet, a cam mounted onsaid cylinder and adapted to shift said abutment member away from saidrst plate and in the path of the second plate, a spring tending toreturn said abutment member to its initial position, means on saidsecond plate adapted to release said first and second pawl when saidsecond plate is rocked by said abutment member, and means tending tomove said cylinder back to its initial position.

2. A flat knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a discmounted on said second ratchet, and a second cam provided on said discand adapted to retain said abutment member in its shifted position.

3. A fiat knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, comprising a discmounted on said second ratchet, a second cam provided on said disc andadapted to retain said abutment member in its shifted position, meansfor releasing one of said yarn guides and for actuating another yarnguide, and a third cam provided on said disc and adapted to actuate saidlast mentioned means.

MICHEL CAVERO.

